could tail light affect suspension

[misteriley]

i have asked about a problem i have with the 'inactive suspension' warning however i noticed an old thread on here where someone mentioned after replacing their LCM they had the warning come up, oddly enough the only other warning i have is for the 'check tail light'

my rear passenger brake light is out and i've changed the bulb, no joy, swapped the whole bulb and holder from drivers side still no joy..could this be giving me the dreaded suspension innactive

OLD THREAD BELOW

Like many others i had problems with my side light and rear light's,so after new sockets...checking the units they still didn't work so i got at ebay the whole new LED kit,they look great but the rear light (now LED) look like they were trembling and the side light/rear light fault warning still came on but every thing work on exception to the rear,they work but are trembling.I had it checked and the right side was only getting 2 volts,so we decided to get a light control module,used but same identical part number,i did this because it seamed cheaper that taking it to the dealer and look at it and the used module we found was at a god price. Got it installed and the rear light/side light fault warnings are gone but the Self leveling suspension inactive warning came on but car fells the same and suspension acts the same,so i replace old to double check and the new problem goes away and old one comes back...Do i need to have the dealer reset the control light module or are both no good

[bestvaluestore]

I do not think it can affect it somehow.

[misteriley]

is there anywhere where you can look up the codes tried putting them in google and looking at some suggested links but no joy at all

[electricalserv x5]

what year is your x5?which engine?

[misteriley]

2001 4.4 petrol

[Qsilver7]

First thing to understand is what the LCM is. The LCM is a module that controls all exterior lighting and it also is where the prority warnings for the check control system. BMW used to have 2 separate modules...the LM (light module) and the CCM (check control module)...but the function of these two components where combined into one module.

Secondly, the LCM also contains redundant data with the IKE...so installing a used one usually creates issues unless you have aftermarket software/hardware to get around this.. BMW software/hardware can NOT install or code used LCM or IKE modules because it would be easy to slip into odometer tamporing...so BMW DIS/GT-1/MoDiC is designed not to have this capability to program used modules.

So, the info you've find is probably misleading you if you weren't aware of the above. If your suspension is actually notactive, then diagnostic equipment could tell youwhat or where the issue lies. The brake bulb may be a corrosion problem. Have you checked the tail light assembly for pitting or burn marks where the contacts on the bulb holder mets the reartail light assembly? Or it could be an internal circuit boad issue withyour LCM.

[misteriley]

Wow great in depth answer thank you, I did remove the rear light and yes there is corrosion, cleaned it and it can on however I think the harness has slightly corroded as when I jiggle it they go off again?? Not sure how to clean that part.

I have also scanned it but its not telling me quite where the fault is it say under EHC that error is not present.

[Qsilver7]

Below is a diagram of the EHC & EHC II self leveling suspension and it's various components. Since you have an 01...you can only have the rear SLS (EHC I) system.

Since the EHC module is below the cargo floor...make sure that it hasn't got wet (sometimes water/moisture gets in that area)...also look for corrosion on those electrical contacts as well.

Then if you see any discrepancies in suspension level...look for air leaks in the suspension components. Do you hear the rumble of the air supply system running at non normal times?

[misteriley]

Rumble??? I don't normally hear any kind of rumble, one error said 'rear left sensor' but its driving spot on, level OK etc. No rough ride...?

[Qsilver7]

The "rumble" I was referring to is the air supply turning on to adjust the suspension. Like if you were loading something in the cargo area that was heavy enough to lower the rear suspension and create an inclination. Depending on when the last time the vehicle was started...you'd either hear the "brrrrrrrr" (rumble sound) of the compressor kicking in soon after loading...or at least when you turned the ignition on.

If the level sensor is faulting (since you say it was mentioned after you ran diagnostics)...the air supply could run more than normal in an attempt to keep the rear left side level. If this is the case...you'd want to handle this before burning out the air compressor which will increase the cost of the repair. The air supply is there to adjust/compensate when load conditions change etc...but it's not supposed to constantly run.